Yes, being an adult is truly terrible (or so we’ve heard). Of course, later we’ll hear about how terrible it is to be a kid – always being told what to do, etc. But rarely in the world do we hear about how being a kid has its own advantages. This is definitely something to keep in mind. Sure, you can’t drive a car when you’re young, but maybe there are things young people can do better.

This is Ender’s justification for wrecking Stilson – to send a message to all the bullies in school. (He has practically the same thought with Bonzo and his gang: “If I'm to walk away from here, I have to win quickly, and permanently” (12.92).) Although Ender doesn’t plan to kill these boys, he has a notion of winning “for all time” that seems more like war than, say, like a game. So we see pretty early on how war is a part of Ender’s life.

Here Ender comes out and says it: when he’s beating Stilson, he’s engaged in “warfare.” (Eh, haven’t we all felt that way about other people at school?) What’s also curious is that Ender realizes he’s acting in a way that will isolate him. By conducting war in this way, he’s making himself look like a monster or an animal. This leads him to question over and over whether or not he is a monster.